The present invention relates to flooring and in particular, wood flooring having tongue and groove construction.
Custom wood flooring having tongue and groove construction is well known. In recent years, homes containing such flooring are also known to be provided with radiant heating systems underneath the floors. These heating systems have caused some problems for mechanically interfit wooden flooring installed in the homes.
In particular, heating of the flooring in the winter and cooling of the flooring at other times of the year will cause the flooring to expand or contract and thereby affects the interfit between adjacent pieces of flooring. This is known to be a cause of squeaking floors.
The flooring of the present invention eliminates the above problem by maintaining tight pressure between adjacent interfit pieces of installed flooring irrespective of any heating or cooling which may occur to the flooring or change in the moisture content of the wood. In addition, the present invention provides a faster and more economical installation of tongue and groove flooring.